UCC, letters and culture talk
I went to a United Church of Christ service last Sunday. Everyone was incredibly nice, but I couldn’t help feeling out of place. To start, everybody was 3-4 decades older than me. Also, I didn’t attend church much as a kid, so I’m unfamiliar with a lot of basic Christian rituals. Most fundamentally, though, I think Jesus was one spiritual teacher among many, not God.
Ironically, the sermon was about Jesus multiplying loaves and fishes. If you’re telling me Jesus was fallible or the New Testament wasn’t an accurate reflection of his views about animals, I could potentially get on board. But if you’re saying Jesus is God and the New Testament is an accurate reflection of his views? I can’t get there.
Eknath Easwaran wasn’t perfect on animal issues. For instance, his ashram had a farm of some kind, which appears to operate to this day. I wouldn’t be surprised if the animals are milked or otherwise used. But he was very clear in his writing that he viewed killing animals as wrong. And one of the benefits of viewing your spiritual teacher as fallible is you don’t have to justify everything they say and do.
So I’ll continue with meditation. At some point I would love to check out the Unitarian Universalist church in Hartford.
Anyway, it was another slow week for letters. My last one has only been published in a California paper so far. It’s frustrating, but I guess I just have to keep taking swings. I’m going to try to differentiate my next letter by including more religious references than I have before. I’ll mention “God’s creatures,” animals carrying “the divine spark within them just as humans do” and the need to “start the work of building the peaceable kingdom.”
I’m most nervous about the last reference, because I’m not very knowledgeable about the Bible. For instance, is the peaceable kingdom something you can work toward on Earth, or is it a vision of paradise you passively wait for? Obviously, I’m going with the former interpretation, because it fits my purposes. But, hopefully, I don’t sound too ignorant or phony.
Given my recent track record with letters, I’m not sure anyone needs my tips for getting published. That said, this post does have statewide email lists that those interested in writing to newspaper editors might find useful:
Welcome back to (Cell) Culture Talk, where I highlight some of the stuff I’ve been watching and listening to lately.
TV: Stranger Things. My wife and I were trying to find a time — when the kids were asleep — to watch the latest season together, but we didn’t have any luck. So I went on ahead. I know many people dismiss the series as an uninspired pastiche. I can see a lot of the influences, but I still love it. This is one of my favorite shows currently on the air.
TV: Rings of Power. The first episode was slow and stuffy. The second was a significant improvement. I haven’t seen the third, which was released today. While I’m not ready to commit for the long haul, I’ll definitely stick with the series for now. Everything looks beautiful. Apparently, it’s the most expensive show ever made.
TV: House of the Dragon. I’m not sure how far I’ll get in this. It’s meaner than what I’m looking for. Plus, I only watched about half of Game of Thrones. I can’t remember why I stopped, but I don’t really feel like going through eight seasons of television just so I don’t miss things in the new series. I understand it’s a prequel, but I imagine the writers are operating with the assumption viewers finished the prior show.
Music: Busted Stuff by Dave Matthews Band. I always liked DMB, but I was never an ardent fan, because the group didn’t seem cool or transgressive. As I got older, and those things became less important, I appreciated DMB more. I haven’t explored their whole discography, however Busted Stuff was the album of theirs I listened to most as a teenager and it’s the one I listen to most now.
Music: More mantram singing. Easwaran only offers a handful of mantrams to choose from. None of them jumped out at me, but, in the end, I settled on “my God and my all.” I recently found a recording of unknown artists singing this mantram on the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation SoundCloud page:
It’s a wonderful performance. Unfortunately, it’s not Easwaran. Part of why I enjoy the recording of him singing his mantram is it feels like he’s keeping me company when I’m doing the dishes or walking our dog. This recording also has a slightly mournful quality, which doesn’t make it ideal for repeat listening. Still, I’ve played it a fair amount.